Scrutiny
by JolieM
Summary: The sight had become more than she could bare, Esther, her own mother in law, had convinced her into sacrificing her blood to help create a spell that would essentially 'protect' the Mikaelsons. Of course she said yes, after all her husband was a Mikaelson… She was a Mikaelson now. There wasn't anything she would refuse to do.
1. My Lord

**AUTHORS NOTE: Trying something new. I love Tatia dearly, this was inspired by a thread I have with the ever talented Ree on Tumblr, our plot is a little different to what I have in mind for this spin off, though this first chapter is pretty much the same with minor tweaks as it was my starter.**

 **Little facts to bare in mind before reading:**

 **-This is Semi-AU.**

 **-Tatia chose Elijah and married him.**

 **-Her blood was still used to create The Originals.**

 **-She didn't die of blood draining but after the ritual she was cursed and put in a 'daggered like state' and hidden away. This was because Tatia had to stay alive in order to keep the vampire curse active, she is an eternal being, not immortal, but is also a beacon.**

 **-She was pregnant, Esther quickened her pregnancy and delivered the child before putting her under, and the child also.**

 **-Esther planted the scene of Elijah draining Tatia's blood into her mind before putting her under, she did this with Elijah also too.**

 **\- When Esther died the curse was lifted and Tatia awoke. She is still eternal. No longer a beacon. She doesn't know why.**

 **-She's been searching for her child.**

 **-She hasn't fully adjusted to 21st century living quite yet, fully.**

 **-At the point where she finds Elijah is in the S4 finale after him and Hayley have their porch scene, called it quits and the Hollow is then transported into the four Mikaelsons.**

 **-Elijah does not erase his memories in this.**

 **Got it? Fab!**

* * *

 _Breath was slowly becoming an illusion as Tatia found herself advancing toward safety, which was effectively in the opposite direction of the death and destruction she had witnessed back in the village. The sight had become more than she could bare, Esther, her own mother in law, had convinced her into sacrificing her blood to help create a spell that would essentially 'protect' the Mikaelsons. Of course she said yes, after all her husband was a Mikaelson… **She** was a Mikaelson now._

 _It wasn't a secret that she was devoted to the man, to his family, they had taken her in, adored her, given her a new start a home, a family,_

 _ **love…  
**_  
 _There wasn't anything she would refuse to do._

 _Running wasn't exactly second nature to her, it was often a man's sport and Tatia rarely had reason to engaged in the activity, so when she began to mentally assess her speed and franticness in her strides a pit him her stomach began to beg her to move faster._

 _This wasn't her finest hour._

 _Tatia was a dancer by nature, all she needed was beautiful firelight for her to get lost in a melody under the stars surrounded by those she loved. Though this run was different, one born out of fear, triggering untactful jagged stammers forward repeatedly as she moved from the very voice she found solace in._

 _ **"TATIA! Tatia! Tati- Wait! Wait..."**_

 _A dip her path had caused her downfall, her foot making contact and instantly launching her forward, head first. Stretched out hands had somewhat broken her fall, stopping her head from making contact with the ground first, however her right hand caught on a stone, slicing it open. Wincing, she grit her teeth, taking on the pain silently moving with haste as she realised that her fall had caused a halt in her mission taking away her lead advantage. He was now only a few feet away from her. "Stay away from me!" She spat, the tone completely unfamiliar to her, the words left a bad taste in her mouth as bruised legs were upright once more, backing away from his frame. They rarely fought, it was a blessing really, their marriage had been a blessing, their marriage had been blissful._

 _ **"I won't hurt you."  
**_  
 _It was as if he was pulling on her heartstrings. It sounded so helpless coming from him but Tatia wasn't stupid, his words seemed to suggest otherwise however, she had already caught a glimpse of the monster behind the human mask she had a hand in creating. If she had known, this monstrosity would never be her reality. After all she had lost one husband already, the man before her was supposed to be her always and forever… "What have you become?" The words sounded hopeless leaving her mouth too, slightly broken, slightly bruised._

 _ **"I am what I've always been, I am the one who loves you…"  
**_  
 _As the words rolled off his tongue she knew better than to ever question it. He was a man of many things though a liar wasn't one of them. "Your mother asked for my blood, she said nothing of the dark magic that would turn you into a monster!" She regretted her hand in all of this, to watching him plead with her was enough to cause her heart to ache for him._

 _ **"Look at me, I am not a mons-"  
**_  
 _A pregnant pause, in all of its entirety of the description, she knew exactly what was going to be said, but for the first time she looked at him in disbelief, there was a choice to be made on her part especially now she was carrying his child… Something they had created out of love, something so innocent and so pure was going to enter this corrupt world with a beast as a parent._

 _She was planning on telling him tonight._

 _Silence._

 _A moment to look at him for who he truly was, a moment to reflect on the throbbing coming from the palm of her hand. Another wince, the silence becoming deafening as she realised he had noticed the open wound._

 _ **"Tatia-"  
**_  
 _His face morphed into an array of veins, bubbling at the surface of his skin, protruding beneath his eyes, teeth lengthening before her as she remembered all of what she had already saw back in the village, in their home. He advanced toward her and instinct kicked in, "No!" Her hand striking him across the face as she watched him turn to her again, unphased._

 _ **"I said I will not hurt you, I don't want-"  
**_  
 _There it was again, the image of terror, the phantom of her nightmares and the man who held her heart, before her, breaking her. "Elijah?" Tatia questioned, because this time his whole demeanor changed, causing her to take a small step backward._

 _ **"Run."  
**_

 _It took a few seconds to register, her brows furrowing as her world began to move in slow motion, turning on her heel she began darting away from him, though she didn't get very far, the next moment she felt his grip on her arm, pulling her toward him. "No!" A shriek, as he yanked her body in position for the act, cradling her almost, capturing her in his arms, before the burning sensation of his sunken teeth in her neck caused her to frenzy in pain. "Ah!"_

 _He would be the death of her._

 _Her final hour..._

 _Darkness._

 _Something Tatia had become accustomed to, assuming that this was the place of the afterlife, this was the solitude people seemed to move on to._

 _It was lonely._

 _She was alone._

 _Centuries passed._

 _Millenias passed._

* * *

The gasp took her by surprise, it was sudden, breaking the spell causing her to jolt forward in the tomb she was held in. Tatia furrowed her brows, pressing forward on the cover before her, pushing the stone off, revealing her location.

The memory of the cast curse came back to her instantly, and so did the memory of Esther implanting her death by husband plot in her head, putting her under the impression that she was dead.

Was she dead?

No...

Another blurry memory, a spell cast over her, as the woman whose blood created the very beings the Mikaelsons became; the beacon. She wasn't immortal, but eternal, without an end.

Climbing out of the tomb she walked out to the door, pushing it forward, the light outside causing her to grimace as she examined her surroundings. Things had definitely changed… drastically.

Eirik…

The name came to her like a whisper as she remembered something else. Esther progressing the pregnancy, delivering her child and 'gifting' her with the chance to name her son before hiding him too.

He was still out there.

Eternal too, bound in this mess for being in her womb.

A sigh left her lips as she began her adventure in becoming accustomed to this new reality. One thing was clear, Esther had clearly passed away. It was the only way she'd be awake.

* * *

Six years had passed by the time Tatia had found herself in New Orleans. During that time she kept to herself, gathering as much information as she could to find her son's whereabouts, all leads led to dead ends until she heard word from some witches about the Mikaelsons location.

As she explored the French Quarter she could only smile as she listened to the melodies leaving the horns as people passed and paraded down the street. She would have stopped to listen, to dance, but there were bigger things that had priority rather than her down time. Her journey continued...

Pulling the picture of the mansion the witches drawn, she took the liberty to let herself in via the left entrance, and standing in the middle of the premises looking around at the architecture.

This was certainly a lot bigger than their home had been.

It was seemingly empty, other than a creaking that seemed to come from the opposite side of the home that she advanced towards, a tiny noise of life. A creaky floorboard. A room with an open door, a tall man... She could spot him from a mile off.

He stilled her.

Two… Five…. Nine… minutes?

She wasn't sure, but whilst his back was turned to her she made sure to spend the most time revelling in the image of him. It had been too long.

He was alive.

Real.

 _"My Lord…"_ Tatia breathed, just above a whisper, dipping her head slightly before she locked eyes on him.


	2. My Love

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello lovelies, it's week two and I've worked diligently at the second chapter for you guys, my aim was 10K+ words and I hit it, I'm aiming for each chapter to be there about the same, let me know if you like the length and flow etc, etc, share with me your ideas and such, I appreciate the follows and review so far super excited about where this story is going.**

 **Much love**

 **-Jolie x**

* * *

There had only been one woman he remembered calling him _that._

Though that had been a very, _very_ long time ago.

Elijah had paused, closing the book in his right hand shut and placing it back in its place on the shelf. He had noticed the voice, and for a moment he thought his mind was playing a cruel scheme on him, after all, these past few months had been hard and he had been challenged and now he was making sure he had all he needed before he fled New Orleans- he didn't need the added stress, not one bit.

He contemplated the doppelgangers for a moment, mentally assessing each encounter with the ones he had come into contact with, remembering their tone, their cadence, the sounds of their strides and movements, their scent and still nothing could prepare him for the rapping that was the sound of the heartbeat that drummed in his ear soon after... from what he had remembered, they were all dead but this… combined with the way her breathing came to a brief halt indicating her nervousness brought him back.

All the way back.

That was a sound that he fell into slumber to, a sound he had memorised, a sound he wrote beautiful melodies about.

" _Impossible…_ " The words escaped his mouth just above a whisper as he spun round on his heel to look at the figure before him.

 _Those almond, chestnut eyes…_

Elijah blinked. He truly had no words.

Tatia swallowed, stepping forward, her boldness born out of years in concealment, years of confinement and years of adjustment. It was amusing to see his chosen attire considering she had been wearing black for the six years she had travelled and had found her identity in pant suits… to her it was the one thing that seemed to preserve her innocence, rather than the skimpy clothes she saw some of the women of this lifetime wear.

"I didn't meant to startle you…" Tatia said gingerly, her brows furrowing a little as she clasped her hands together in front of her, suddenly feeling extremely small and intimidated as she stood laterally to him. There was so much she had rehearsed over the years of what to say, one thing she knew for sure was that she didn't know why or how she was there, or the truth of what really happened, after all, Esther had staged and planted the memories of her massacre perfectly in their minds... in a deep, dark place in their minds. Tatia had learned that soon after her awakening, getting help from witches near and far to help decipher the conundrum that was her life, her part in all of this and what had happened in the time she had been 'dead'.

A lot, apparently.

A lot she needed answers for but in turn there was a lot _she_ had to answer for and most of all a lot she had tested and tried. She spoke up again, doing her best to explain herself, because she could already sense from his demeanor alone, she had intruded at a bad time.

He looked _troubled._

"The slaughter house… with the red door? Where your mother would slaughter the animals?" She asked, slightly, trying her best to jog his memory, not being sure if the slight prompt was needed or not- this was all new for her.

Of course Elijah knew of that door all too well, that wretched door had been the source of his guilt, and the biggest reminder of the monster he grew to be- he offered her a slight nod as he watched her in awe. Paralyzed in that spot by her presence.

He was positive that he had reached the pinnacle of his torturous insanity.

"There happened to be a tomb in the ground where I was held captured..." She began to explain, scrunching her nose slightly as she realised she was missing vital information, "I was with child." She paused, avoiding his eyes and finding a spot behind him on the wall to fixture her attention too. That piece of information was undoubtedly a bittersweet topic considering all they had been through, all history she shared with him. There was a slight clearing of the throat before her lips parted for the third time. "I had plan to tell you that night, but the chance was robbed from me, before she cast a spell on me she progressed the pregnancy and I birthed a son, Eirik. Esther made me believe that it had been you to bring me to my end but I know you would never harm me… I awoke and searched for our son to no avail… _yet_. Then some witches in the East of Austria had informed me of your whereabouts. I came here as soon as I could." Tatia babbled slightly, an anxious trait that caused her to stop and breath easy.

Her confession was more than he could bare to hear, if her existence hadn't been enough to have him question the past centuries and why he had never saw this coming, why he didn't do more, and why he did not investigate further and now here was his _wife_ , his first love _alive_ , _breathing with a beating heart_ telling her that she had been pregnant, and that there was a boy out in this world, that shared his DNA.

The gift of life. Something they had sought for and never seemed to ever gain had been so close to his grasp, the passion to create a life and provide an upbringing so different from his own only to have it so tragically pulled from him before he ever even got a chance to walk in all its bliss. Which was why the discovery of Hope had been the most beautiful news for their monstrosity of a dysfunctional family, a light in all of their darkness, a flare of illumination in their despair, a life they could all work, fight and find belief for a better future in. Innocence amongst destruction, a perfect reason to join together, rise stronger, and strive to preserve what little humanity was left of them; all for that blue eyed little girl. If there was one thing Elijah craved it was to be a father, to be a better one than his father had been, to have been the one he longed for, to have the opportunity to mold a little personality, encourage dreams, desires and watch as a child grew from infant to adult and flourish in all of their wonder. _A legacy_. A _perfect_ legacy… the one he found in his niece and now… another beam of faith in his _son_.

A gift his brother had been blessed with, a journey that he had been so eager to be a part of, so much so that he was now leaving all he knew, breaking his solemn vow for his niece, Hope. He had been envious of the position Hayley and Klaus had been in, Hayley had managed to provide Klaus with a gift of the highest of statures, one that no other woman in all the years that had past could never offer him, life, humanity. _Hope._ Tatia and Elijah had tried for three years. Always hopeful. Never succeeding and this news was enough to set even his undead heart alight. Elijah was a man of his word, and he had pledged several to the woman before him, but some much had happened in the time she had been away, there was a lot of mending, and recalling to do after all...

He had been robbed too.

However this was a heavy revelation even for him and Elijah was used to being the brunt of everyone's sacrifices, a child changed everything, he could stop the mix of emotions that brewed within him, from anger towards his mother, regret of not doing more, remorse for their situation, hatred for their circumstance, fear for his boy, _fear for his boy, fear for_ _ **his**_ _boy_ , fear for his-

After everything the Mikaelsons were experiencing Elijah was already in a compromising position, one on hand he knew he was the greatest threat to this family, he was devoted to a fault knowing he would be the one to always strive to find their salvation in reunion his dedication to his family was imminent and ever growing though now… he had another member to think of, another person to put ahead of his selfish desires to forget the history of his past. He _had_ to flee immediately, he had to get away from all of this, but he couldn't walk away from her, from this proclamation, from the dream he once had belief in.

He was young and in love then, living was simpler, there weren't the obstacles he had now.

He knew best that family is power…

...It was also his biggest vulnerability.

Tatia couldn't read his expression, the silence in the room grew deadly almost leaving not an inch for her tiny voice to fill the space, her fingers still intertwined him a clasp resting on her front as she bit the insides of her cheek, trying her best to act as confidently as she could, she imagined this encounter to be so different but now she was here and the reenactment had played out differently than she had previously anticipated, she wasn't sure where to look or what to do or say next. Sure, her naivety had gotten the best of her, he _was_ afterall a different man now, having millenias to change and reinvent himself and before whomever the personality her had morphed into now. From what he remembered Elijah was a man of many words and in the time they had stood there in the study he had only managed to barely utter one to her. Bringing her hand a few strands of stray hair she tucked the unruly part behind her ear and straightened up, faux fixing the already neat suit jacket she wore over her shirt. Doing something, _anything_ to simply keep herself busy.

"Will you come with me?" His voice calm, steady.

It was enough for her eyes to revert back to his; "Pardon?" She asked slightly.

"I have to leave New Orleans urgently, I don't have time to explain directly but I _will_ once we're far from here, we can discuss this further, look for our son..." Elijah took a step closer to her, "I'm not avoiding this, you have my word, this happens to be a very compromising time and I have to depart before I create an ever bigger conflict than the one we've just managed to repress." Elijah made clear, and in a flurry he had grabbed the dress coat and put in on, straightening it at hems as he advanced closer, ushering her with him out of the room.

There was so much more she had to tell too, to clear the air, "Yes, of course." Tatia nodded, moving as he lead her, straight out to the Black SUV that sat out side. She moved around to the passenger's seat, buckled herself up and leaned back as he got in the driver's side and pulled away from the curb.

It wasn't Tatias intention to stare, to be fair their reunion had been brief and bizarre thus far, six years of searching, she knew that there was so much more that was needed to be said but she expected more from him, foolishly expected more enthusiasm, to see his ancient wife after believing she lay dead rotting somewhere. She knew him better than that though, too much time had past, there had been others, she wasn't jealous of _that_ fact; she was jealous that she never got to witness him truly happy in that time, instead she was locked away constantly replaying that woeful scene. However she could still see that expression.

 _Deeply troubled._

"I'm sor-" She began only to be cut off by his hand raising to stop her speech.

"You needn't apologize, you're not at fault. Its simply the predicament we're in." Elijah offered her a small nod.

"No, not for that" She corrected slightly, "For intruding at a bad time."

Elijah let out a breath, "There would never be a right time for that news"

She couldn't argue with that. "Where are we going may I ask?"

"France, there's a town in the South, called Mano-"

"Manosque, I've been." Tatia butted in.

He quirked a brow

"I do hope you didn't think I was _fibbing_ when I said I had searched to no avail." She offered him a slight curl of the lips.

" _Fibbing?"_ Elijah mused, "Tatiana? Never." Smiling finally, a motion that almost pained him to do considering the act that had taken place only a couple of hours prior. There was no doubt that her allurement and wit remained. "When did you go?"

Tatiana, her full name. Only he referred to her as that.

 _That was nice._

"Two years into my search, I had word that Eirik was spotted in Greece so naturally I went with high expectations, bribed and bought off every witch I could to help trace his exact whereabouts, nothing worked, but some mentioned that you had claimed residence in France after breaking away from your family for some time" Tatia whispered. "They said you had lived alone, what they forgot to mention was that it had been years upon years since you had lived there..."

He remembered it all too well, it was after Niklaus had taken Celeste's life, the second of the three ladies he had found love with in his existence, he had not taken her departure from the earth lightly and had secluded himself for some time to mourn her. Just like he did with Tatia, he fled there too, and now with Hayley… he was going back to that place once more. Only this time he wasn't alone.

"Yes. I go there evere hundred decades or so" He said somewhat plainly, he wasn't about to explain that it was the place that made him happy in the midst of mourning his lovers.

"May I ask why you're running? Are you in trouble?" Her eyes wondered as she observed the tightness of the grip he had on the steering wheel.

Elijah laughed, knowing if he were to explain the story in full it would sound like make believe, or as if he were competing with her crazy story in turn, because in all honesty there in his life, her life, it read like a huge misfortunate parody of what should have happened. "Maybe leave that story for the plane ride. Give us plenty of time to get into it." He finally answered.

The doppelganger nodded, settling again as they continued their journey on.

* * *

Getting tickets for their journey without any trace of identification for the both of them was more of a breeze than Tatia expected, he had kindly compelled eight too many staff members to let them on board, something Elijah swore he didn't do often as he lived honestly, but again, _circumstance._ She didn't mind one bit, he was handling business.

It was attractive.

The thirteenth hour flight took longer than she liked, though filled with great conversation, a safe place in the back of First Class, a booth to themselves where she got to talk of all she was aware of, what she had found and what she had been up to which in Elijah's eyes was a walk in the park compared to his story… Niklaus not being Mikaels, Hybrids, Hope, The Hollow, Hayley… he spoke only briefly about her, but he was sure he had conveyed enough to Tatia that their relationship was more than romantic.

She honestly felt very honoured, after everything, they could share themselves with each other, and not hide a thing.

Somehow they both could subconsciously sense it had been a long time since they could talk freely around someone they trusted wholeheartedly, like old friends, with familiar faces, from familiar places, knowing one another so deeply it was almost spiritual at this the point.

Sweet relief.

All up to date with each others current predicaments they finally touched down in France and headed over to Manosque. With the promise of making sure he'd take Tatia to the shopping malls the next day to get some new items of clothing, considering he had plucked her with only the clothes on her back, they settled, bourbon in hand around an open fire in the back yard.

It reminded her of their longhouse he had built especially for them just north or the farm he grew up on and how every night when she grew cold Elijah would start a fire either outside under the stars or lighting the hearth. Living was quite different.

Living was simplistic and care fee.

"I know you love her. I know it's hard." Tatia whispered, she was referring to Hayley but she knew she didn't have to specify, "I don't know your story but if you ever wanted to get it off of your chest, you are not alone, you can confide in me. Additionally I wall say this though, something a girl in New Zealand told me, I thought it was quite profound, _"If you love someone set them free, and if they come back, it's meant to be'_ " She smiled.

He didn't have the heart to tell her it was incredibly corny, but he understood the sentiment. He offered a nod.

How beautiful it was to be that… clueless.

Blissful.

"It probably goes unsaid but I'm not referring to myself either." She smiled softly, because she was never a woman who would compete nor let fate dictate her heart. A bittersweet statement, just because he had the chance to move on from her thinking she was long gone. When it came to him all she had been left with was the memory of him but just like all of those years ago, happiness reigned above all, practically reigned above all. Their child was out there and she thought with her heart when it came to him, she figured that's what motherhood did, cause you you to selfishly or selflessly only fight for the helpless in the situation. Her child's infancy and innocence had been taken advantage of, she didn't know if he was safe of in harm's way, clearly someone knew of his where abouts because by the time she had awoken he wasn't there. All she wanted was her baby boy in her embrace. "I'm not here to complicate your life any further… I just want us to find our child and raise him and keep him safe, no matter what that scenario looks like… I know the customs we were raised upon are a little outdated, My Lord. I do not wish to bring you more havoc. We fought for so long..." Tatia trailed off.

"Three years precisely, the entirety of our marriage." Elijah considered her for a moment, realizing that was the very reason he had fell for her in the first instance, her ability to asses a situation with poise and practicality and sacrifice her own thoughts and emotions for the better of others. She was like him to a fault, but he knew better than to brush off her words as something simply said, after all those mahogany waves were something he had the pleasure of experiencing every day. He knew her on a deeper level as she, _well,_ she knew things even Hayley didn't. Tatia had been the only one to see the before. He took a sip swallowing it down as he mimicked her actions, looking over at the blaze. "I keep my word Tatiana, you know that most." He met her tone, soft, considerate. "We will reunite with our son, no matter what that takes."

"Alright." Another sip, and a glance over her cup.

"Alright." He agreed. Finally turning to her, "How're you finding the new world?" He changed the subject to a lighter one.

"Naked"

He smirked. "Oh?" He mused.

"These women wear nothing to cover whatever innocence they posses, its astonishing, honestly. I had befriended the witches in the town where we used to live and they were extremely helpful, took me too a tailor, wanting be to buy dresses and glamorous gowns but I saw a pantsuit and fell in love."

"Woman after my own heart" He gestured to himself.

Her cheeks immediately rouged, causing her to look in the other direction.

He knew.

"I try other things from time to time…" She defended.

"I do too. It's rare."

"Usually occasion specific, My Lord."

"Or emotion specific, My Lady." He studied her somewhat, noticing she had been calling him that since their meeting, "How're you been adjusting?" He was generally curious to see how she thought she was doing, it was one thing changing yourself to accommodate the times as Elijah progressed through his existence, but Tatiana had slumbered in one time to wake up in a completely different era.

"So-so." She said truthfully, "For the most part I've tried my best to keep up…. The first three years were the hardest, but I think I've gotten better with slang, one was of speaking _somewhat anyway_ , I know I'm a little bit of an old lost soul, I'm sure you'll notice something." She admitted.

"I _have_ noticed" Elijah put him empty glass down and leaned further back into his chair, "You're doing tremendously, though however endearing the term, you can call me by my name."

"Elijah." She smiled, "Noted." Tatia whispered.

After a few more hours of conversation the decide to turn in for the night, parting into their separate rooms.

* * *

The night had been a restless one for both Elijah and Tatiana, of course the place had no familiarity to Tatia, the country, yes, but the humble abode Elijah had found comfort in, no. It was becoming inevitably clear that in the six years since she had began roaming the earth that _this_ had been the first night she has shared a roof with a male. In fact it was becoming even more startling that the man she had last shared a roof with _and_ slept in close proximity with was her husband.

He had bought her right back to that place.

It had been a restless night but it didn't stop her appreciating French bliss.

There was something majestic about the sunshine. Something delicate and serene about its splendour that seemed to revive and bring her back to life the moment her eyes opened each morning. She liked to leave the curtains cracked open an inch for that purpose, there was simply no need for an alarm clock when she could wake up to the calming warmth that would rouge her skin and prompt her awakening.

The illumination it brought, the brilliance and the sensation of joy its presence could bring. France had been kind to her in that way, embracing her in a way no other place could have. France had provided her with some of her greatest and most cherished memories since her awakening, fine cuisine, excellent friendships. All in her quest to make her family whole again the first time here had really been a blessing. France had moulded her.

However, she still loved the rain. She loved the pitter and patter sound it would make as each drop cascaded down onto the window pane. There was nothing more mesmerizing than watching each droplet roll down the surface and crash into another before beginning to race down to the pool it formed on the windowsill. The fire would be on, and she'd be in her pajamas with a mug of hot cocoa, her childish choice of beverage as coffee was something she despised the taste of there would be soft music playing in the background as she plotted, planned and came up with her next move in her journey.

Sweet aromas hit her nose first compelling her to pull the bed sheet that was concealing her womanhood from her skin, and putting on a silk robe Elijah had left out for her to borrow in the time being she moved from the room, down the stairs to see him plating pastries on the dining table. He was fully dressed, alert and ready for the day which only led her to believe he had been awake for a few hours.

Her head spun to the clock seeing it read 7:00AM exactly. Nice and early. She pulled on the fabric of his robe, tightening it and readjusting the bow she had already created under her right breast. "Couldn't sleep?" She mused as she stepped closer.

"Not quite, neither could you by the sound sounds of it." He said as he poured the fresh orange juice into two glasses- she clicked her tongue remembering he could hear virtually anything.

"Yes, the bed took some getting used to." Tatia admitted. "I haven't slept well since I awoke from the tomb, _the irony._ " she scoffed.

Elijah opened his mouth to say something in return but shut it again soon after. He couldn't remember the last time he was well rested either. The burden and responsibility of his existence increased day by day it seemed, he had literally got into the habit of sleeping with one eye open in fear that he would miss something, _anything_ , that would cause harm to his and his own. It had seemed that every time he thought things were looking up something had always managed to drop him another six feet under the rug.

There was no rest for the wicked, apparently. Elijah knew that all too well, after all he couldn't even grieve the realisation of never seeing his beloved siblings, niece and Hayley….

 _Hayley…_

The woman that had become the bane of his existence, her in all of her innocence, she had never asked for the curse of his family upon her life but she came so timid yet so willingly into all of this taking every test, trial and tribulation into her stride, walking in the foundations of their vow, offering herself, her child, and promising to stay bound in their promise of always and forever. He had sensed before anyone else had that she was a delight to this world, a nineteen year old, a child having a child, she and her child both being babies in the battlefield this supernatural side of the world was plagued with. She forfeited a simple life to offer her presence and Hopes in turn and he had watched her grow from the young woman that had been taken against her will, cursed, and used as an offering, a sacrifice all for the the little Mikaelson she held in her belly. Hayley Marshall was strong. Stronger than he could ever anticipate to be, there was nothing that seemed to phase her, or knock her too hard, even after the red door, her eyes was still set on the prize of her daughter for that he would always love her. She was better than all of them put together. She did better, she grew better. Her closeness to humanity and her strife, the way she clung to it, tried her best to resemble it for Hope's sake, to keep her safe, provide her with all she was stolen of, and all they had been stolen of too, was something he simply couldn't fathom and somehow, magically throughout his devotion and sacrifice she had chose him, and he had chosen her, to find solace in, to share their deepest darkest secrets, dreams and desires, to make plans for the future together, he was supposed to bring her here…..

 _He was supposed to have brought her here to make it right._

 _He had promised to make it right,_

 _Whatever that sequence of events looked like._

 _Then he ruined it all. As usual._

Like mother had told him, he would rip the wings off of butterflies, taking something so wonderful and stripping them of all their loveliness. Elijah had done the unthinkable, the unredeemable and he knew that. He knew that the moment he had come to his senses in the pendant, hearing Hope scream for her mother, and the look of terror in the woman he loved looking back at him as if he were a ghost, he had broken her heart in the lust of who he was, seeing her as nothing more than mere food, he craved her in ways she didn't understand and she was aware of his beast, she _had_ read his journals after all. He constantly reminded her that his demeanor and poise didn't make up for the maniac he kept locked away so well, he had learned restraint over the generations he had lived but it was as if she couldn't bring herself to believe that he was no better than the rest of evil this world possessed. He had asked for her forgiveness immediately. Another butterfly, just like Tatiana and the vision his mother placed in his mind, just like Celeste and her involvement with him and most recently Hayley. The Wolf, Witch and the Doppelganger. He was confident that he could give C.S. Lewis a run for his money with the sad plotline of his autobiography if he were to pen it down.

The core of who he was now had become his greatest shame.

Still, this revelation of Tatiana's existence still blew him away, of course, it was unavoidable to have an internal conflict of emotions when it came to her, on one hand having here there with him was bittersweet, he could foolishly feel himself finding hope in finding out she was indeed alive and he didn't not lay a hand on her. It was all metaphorical, yet his mother's fake vision of her ending had contributed to his vicious spiral. He was in love with Tatiana, even now. How could he not be? That woman was his first well, _everything_. A woman of exquisite beauty, confidence all while maintaining her elegance and charisma. He definitely had a type. Though she had a little advantage, he had fallen so deeply for her that he had pledged his life for her, _to her,_ that contract, in all entirety never ended, he had honoured her even when she was away from him, he valued her, he loved her unconditionally and without fault, she was the first and only woman he gave the gift of his last name, the one she still had.

It _must_ have meant something.

The must be a little glimmer of light left for him, despite everything.

I must have meant _something_ because he could never bring himself to give that gift to another. He was quite happily content with being a widower, even if others didn't know but now he wasn't, _well_ … it changed everything. The days and nights they had spent together and her promises of giving him a son, she had made it come true. Despite what happened..

Magic.

Tatiana Mikaelson, was a woman of wonder, never one to back down from a challenge and never one to walk away from her liabilities. He hadn't lied when he told Hayley that him disappearing would have been best for all of them, they _were_ doomed. Loving any of them seemed to end in destruction but surely if someone was already a part of the family, things _couldn't_ get worse. He could be happy, with Tatia, if things worked well, he could be happy just having his son in his life.

Tatiana Mikaelson, if there was one person he could chose to have him work through this by his side, whether they were together or not, it would be her.

He could already tell that they needed one another; whatever that looked like.

He didn't dwell on happiness too much though because as it currently stood, he was furthest from it. Elijah's main focus was retrieving his boy, then retrieving his family's presence… eventually.

"Hopefully you'll be able to sleep easy once we have our son closeby." He said finally, placing the full plate in front of her.

Tatia dipped her head, "Thank you for this, Elijah." She began to eat, looking in the mug he placed on the table soon after. Hot cocoa. He had remembered. She blushed, looking over at him, eyes looking for a moment.

He smiled knowingly, gesturing for her to take a sip.

So she did, bring the steaming mug to her lips and humming instantly, smiling, "Peppermint and Nutmeg… Elijah I haven't had a cup like this since-" She stopped midway, "Since _that_ morning"

The morning of his destruction, he knew that too. Seeing the smile on her face was worth it. It gave him some sense of usefulness. "I took the liberty of doing a little shopping around for you rather than bore you with the journey." He pointed to the coffee table in the living room, covered with bags, "A few pant suit selections and some others I picked out that I thought might be to your liking, plenty of options" He promised, "I've also set up a meeting with some French witches over in Sainte-Tulle, it's around thirty minutes south just off of the Highway, a whole coven who owe me a favor. I'm sure with a little persuading they'll be most submissive."

"Do whatever you have to." She whispered softly, "Whatever you're currently comfortable with."

"I intend to. Though, fair warning Tatiana, I'm much different than what you remember." He warned, "I do not like mess and the moment I get any hint of suspicious activity, I will end it promptly, if I ask something of you, you do as I say, do you understand?"

She swallowed, "Yes. Like I said though, Elijah. I'm not afraid of you."

"I'm aware, and that's what I fear."

She looked at him, knowing what he meant, there were so many meanings and explanations to that particular phrasing. "I'm not as fragile as you think."

"I don't doubt your strength." He defended quickly.

"I've been in trouble before and I've gotten out of it, I have the scars to prove it, I-"

"Tatiana, I _know_."

"I want to help, I can fight. I want to fight for our son, I _have_ fought for our boy, I know what you are and what you are capable of but don't deny me this right." She said finishing up her food, taking her cocoa into her hands as she stood.

"I can't fight if I'm worried about you." He pleaded.

"Then don't worry about me." She shrugged.

" _Tatiana…"_

" _Elijah…_ " She matched his tone.

"Our son needs his mother alive when we're reunited. Let me make up for lost time." Elijah continued.

That plea caused her to pause slightly, they were both so headstrong. So stubborn. She took a long sip of her warming drink closing her eyes on satisfaction as it traveled through her; she sighed, defeated and handed him the empty mug and looked right up at him, "Our son needs _both_ of his parents alive, to raise him and love him as it should be. Both of us, a good community, quite literally, it takes a Village. I need you too, I don't wish to do this alone." Tatiana corrected, biting on her lip, a bad habit- "I'll stay out of harm's way, but I'll intervene if I see fit. I am fully aware of my limitations and I'll stay well within my means. I've never needed a man to fight my battles, I've thrived both with and without, but you are family and family are stronger together. Using you as my bodyguard isn't my intention, nor do I intend to use you for your power and exploit your selflessness. I know whom I married. Your faithfulness to family will never change and I know together our son has two parents who will do absolutely _anything_ to assure his return is prompt." She cocked her head to the side a little, "Do _you_ understand, Elijah?" Tatia said seriously. She wasn't sure how he had been living, but she was about to remind him she wasn't the little village girl he once knew either.

"Yes." Elijah nodded, taken aback by her almost. The incident with The Hollow had been the one time his family joined forces, and when it came to women well, Elijah knew more than anyone that he had been taken advantage of on more than a few occasions. He would love to a fault and after years of bending over backwards for Hayley, doing all she asked or suggested of him, Tatias callowness and boldness was a nicer gesture than she could or would ever know or comprehend.

She turned on her heel, moving toward the living room towards the bags of clothes, peaking through each one and trying to choose an outfit before he came up behind her.

"May I?" He asked softly.

She nodded, moving to the side a little to give him more space to rummage, only for him to reach into specific bags to grab a few items, before handing them to her. "Thank you." Dipping her head in return, she moved back to her room, showered and got dressed in the outfit he had chosen for her. A nicer grey pant suit, much nicer than the ones she owned with satin lapels and a designer white turtleneck to match, the pants fit slimmer and were thicker in material, a little more durable, and figure hugging, very non restrictive, she tucked the turtle neck in and buttoned up the jacket before she moved to the mirror to do her hair, opting for a half up half down look, with a mermaid braid in the middle where her partition was before she put on some light makeup and a blush lip. She opted for a grey suedette wedged heel boot to match before finally meeting with him in the living room once more.

Twirling, she smirked at him, "You have exquisite taste, Monsieur"

"So I've been told"

She smiled, "Shall we go get Eirik?"

"Sounds like a plan." Elijah moved leading their quest.

* * *

Eiriks retrieval day wasn't to be that day.

Unfortunately for the coven of witches, Elijah's previous pep talk about plans if this went pear shaped came into play. There had been many an occasion found herself in this predicament, doing all she could to fight off, break free or hide until safety came, plus usually in these situations she made certain she had back up, after all she was merely a human heading into a battlefield with people, species she still had so much to learn about. Tatia knew of the witches and all they were capable off, a lot of them however insulted her intelligence, she bore many marks in her time due to the violence she partook in to get what she wanted and needed.

Despite watching Vampires, Wolves and Witches have at it in the past nothing could have adjusted her for the sight that was Elijah Mikaelson in action, the way he kept his calm and collective persona when he spoke to his betrayers. She stood to the right of him, hands folded around herself. The five men had taken their blood, something that had been tried before but they reckoned now that both parents were present it could bear different results. They formed a circle around them, Elijah and Tatia hand in hand in the middle as the chants began and almost instantly Tatia hollered, the pain in her brain was overwhelmingly too much to endure. Elijah for the most part seemed unfazed as he took a slight step forward placing his hands smoothly into his trouser pockets.

"Gentlemen, I've had a torturous week, I do hope you don't plan on adding your name to the list of people who have angered me. I can assure you it won't end well" He smoothed over his lapel and adjusted his pocket square.

"The blood of the maker and a original can be used to destroy all of you." A redheaded male spoke up.

"False." Elijah rolled his eyes, "Do you think I was born yesterday?" He didn't know for sure, but he certainly wasn't about to find out.

"You both cannot die, but she is no longer the beacon, there's been separation and this child is the last ingredient to our sacrifice, with your blood combined and him found the ancestors will grant us all we ask."

" _Ingredient?"_ Elijah scoffed, "You know better than to taunt me." Flashing his true identity for a moment causing him to pause his movement for a moment. Elijah to took the opportunity to look over at Tatia to make sure she was alright.

The circle broke around them, causing Tatia to be freed from her paralysed state. She waited a moment assessing the area and Elijah's handle on things taking her place by him once more, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, either, and considering this is is my _child_ s status you are toying will don't underestimate my love and allegiance for my child. I will do all things in my power to get what I seek." She reached into her inner breast pocket and pulled out a hand aiming it at their oppressors.

 _A gun? That was new..._ Elijah mused,

"Hardly a weapon for a lady" A blonde man stepped up, "Would you like a lesson on how-"

She fired a single shot in his thigh, painfully close to his groin area causing the man to screech in pain.

"You missed." He smirked.

"Young man, I never miss. I shot arrows in my day and I found a new device to play with. I've hit your popliteal vein." She shot another, time, adjusting her grip on her gun and moving it slightly to the right, "... and this is your profunda femoris vein" She offered him a mile, "Would you like to know another?" She asked ever so sweetly.

The blonde cowered back limping as he tried his best to use his hand to compress the new fresh wounds.

Tatiana Mikaelson wasn't a innocent baby anymore, she definitely had several backbones.

Elijah quirked a brow, they were _definitely_ having a conversation about where she learned _that._ "Shall we continue?" He asked, "My sons whereabouts, as promised." He requested once again.

This time a different spell was cast, how _funny._ Their little inducement seemed to have done the trick.

But there was no trace once again.

All the locators spells in the world seemed to lead then to dead ends, and as Elijah continued to keep the tension in the room at bay and all the respectful witches in their place he watched as Tatia mentally unwind he could sense simply by looking at her fidgeting that she was frustrated, he was too, and this was only day one for him, she had endured this for six years by herself. As the witches continued to try different things he moved up behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. He knew a mother's love was incomparable, he also knew that back in the day she was highly against violence and conflict, yet here she was, wearing it like a perfect fit, the sight had, had him in awe, it was definitely a sight to see, her so confident and bold and demanding, all things Tatia hated to be, back in their day, Tatia was headstrong, always knew what she wanted and sought after her desires with all of her being - that hadn't changed; but she was a submissive wife too, doing all he asked, respecting his wishes, that was a different time however, the transformation, the tally of mixed feelings she must have bottled up inside alone for years clearly had taken its toll on her. "No more." He whispered, giving her shoulder a squeeze. "Ill put you in contact with my Sister Freya and have her seek into this, she's phenomenal in her works, I assure you she'll find Eirik. She's family."

Tatia was going to challenge him but turned to look at him for a moment, "I'll wait in the car. Don't leave these fools with a drop of any of our blood."

That was obvious, but he didn't make a deal out of it, just nodded in turn and watched her leave.

* * *

Three months passed.

Three more antagonizing, discouraging months that she didn't have her son returned to her.

Tatia felt foolish, thinking that if there was anyone on this planet that could make her mission faster it would be Elijah, after all she had heard the tales and fables of his family and their reputation, but it seemed that this was a bigger fight than they had anticipated. Eirik Mikaelson was out there, once the plump babe that was pried from her body now, as of one week ago, a seven year old boy being kept by people she didn't know nor could find a trace of. Freya had been a delight, over the three months she had managed to get farther than Tatia had in six years, she had worked closely with Vincent to help currently they had their eyes on a two other coven of witches, main and extended families that they _**thought**_ were passing Eirik around in attempts to keep him untraceable, there were sixty of them to defeat in total if their predictions were right.

Tatiana had travelled back and forth since then without him, delivering vials of their blood combined to help with spells as Elijah couldn't set foot back in New Orleans so whatever needed her presence she had to go, but returning to France after the ninth trip was taking its toll on her. Elijah was busying himself forging allies new with wolves packs, witches and other vampires that could help them on the fight that was to come.

She had met Niklaus too, he dropped by often, to check on his brother, Elijah knew, they kept their distance. She made sure to stay in touch.

Kicking her shoes off at the door she dropped her carry on also in the cloakroom, before entering the house, and heading straight for the bourbon. She had been followed from the moment she touched down, some vampire belonging to Klaus' bloodline had hired two women to bring her to him, they failed, clearly, Tatia being unarmed had to use her fists and what little strength she had to fight them off. It had seemed that her life was in further danger the moment she had been seen side by side with Elijah and people realised she was a Petrova doppelgänger, not only that but she was the mother of the first conceived second generation Mikaelson- like Hayley she had somehow continued the bloodline, she was a liability to the world and still human-like at that, she was a walking conundrum and she could be easily killed.

Joke was, she was unkillable.

Elijah hated that he couldn't do more, the situation and position he was in was compromising to say the least, she hadn't told him of her return due to not wanting him to _babysit_ her however he couldn't help but notice no one tried to mess with her when he was around, he made a mental not to remind her that, that trip had been her last until things were resolved a little better.

He couldn't deny the easy comfort he found in her, it was something it that he had with no other woman no matter how close he had gotten with them, there was something about being in her world that was a lot different and sometime he felt like he didn't have the right to feel that way, but she was a great woman to find solace in she afterall knew all about him.

He met her there in the living room and the pure sight of her face caused him to race to her, his hand cupping the side of her face, causing her to look straight at him and not to hide; "Who did this?" He whispered.

She shook her head and swallowed a large sip, "I don't wish to talk about it." Sighing she went to move, he held her still.

He wasn't having any of the tough girl act today, " _Tatiana_... don't hide from me"

"If I was hiding from you, I'd have put makeup on." She said finally letting her eyes fall onto his.

"Who?"

"Some Vampire" She shrugged. "Had two women come 'pick me up' from the airport, I'm fine, I fought, I hid, I escaped, I'm home" She said blandy.

"Let me-" He moved to examine the fresh bruising on the side of her forehead.

She leaned to the side to put down her glass of bourbon. Her eyes didn't leave his, letting him gently press at the area, she was sure she had plenty more on her body, she was aching all over but she merely swallowed, "I'll be fine, Elijah, it's not that bad."

"Let me run you a bath" He said softly, the sight breaking his heart, he was so helpless in this case, there were limitations to what he could do, but their mission was advancing and on the bright side they had created a safe home for their son to live when they were finally together again.

"I'd like that." She nodded, letting him leave and she followed him up the stairs however turned off at her bedroom, as he turned into the main bathroom doing as he said. She began to undress, before slipping on her robe and joining him, seeing him lean across the bath testing the water; " Nice and hot?" She asked.

"Almost" She paused turning on the hot water again, clearly not satisfied with the temperature. He swished a few times and finally when it was ready he ushered her over. This was a lot different to gathering and boiling buckets of water, gosh, he was thankful in the advancing of plumbing.

She disrobed, in front of him, letting the fabric fall to the floor, his back was to her but he heard the motion and was stilled by it, Elijah still sat on the edge of the bath watching it ripple as she entered and submerged herself underneath before him. Tatia finally came up for air, resting her head back and sighing, content.

He flexed his jaw.

 _Good lord._

Elijah gave her the once over, hungrily watching her for a moment before his dark eyes met with hers, musing over the fact that not an inch of her body had changed from what he had originally remembered, Tatiana Mikaelson was a divine, in every sense of the word. Not wanting to intrude any further he began fixing himself to leave only for hand to land on top of his on the edge.

"Stay" She whispered, "Please."

He nodded, pausing before he tucked some of her wet hair behind her, stroking her cheek slightly, "How've you been?" The question was quiet and strained, paining him to even ask but that was the first time since they had been reunited that they had a vulnerable moment together he was generally curious.

"I was trapped in a tomb, replaying a scene of the man I love murdering me, my son was ripped from my body, and stolen from me, I can't die, I can't find my son… In the past years of me being awake I've gotten nowhere and tried to no avail, I'm tired, broken… beaten" Tatia shrugged, "I just want my son." She sighed, "I want my baby here with us" She began to tear up, her voice getting croaky, "For three years, I wanted nothing more than for us to have a child, I wanted to give you a son and when I found out I was with child, I wanted to surprise you and celebrate with you and your mother… I never even got to feel him move in my belly or experience the joys of pregnancy… One moment there was a tiny human forming inside of me and the next… the next he's in my arms and I'm calling him by his name, my beautiful baby boy… and that was the last of him… I just…" She shakes her head, blinking away the tears "I'm _tired_ "

He took her hand, pulling it up to his lips to kiss it softly. "I know. Believe me when I say I understand, and soon we'll look back and be thankful for the quiet" he joked gently, "With the way everything's going, our son will be returned to us sooner rather than later. But Tatia-" He kissed her head this time, "No more excursions, you need rest" He commented.

"How have _you_ been?" She asked in return.

"Managing" He gave her a soft smile, "Having you here helps, a perfect distraction from the voices in my head."

"... How bad is The Hollow?" She whispered.

"Combined with my apatite? I feel like going on murderous rampages on more than one occasion, the more powerful a witch I meet the more prominent the power feels" He nodded.

"Do you feel anything when you're near me?"

"Love, of course."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm being serious, Elijah-"

"So am I, you were my wife, still are as that contract never ended, the one I found solace in, mother of my child, none of that has changed." He whispered, "Things are different now, but my feelings remain the same."

"So much has happened in your life, I'm not here to compli-"

"Our lives are already complicated."

"I don't want to be with you like that" She said quickly. "Not yet. We need our son, we need time, you could solve this Hollow mess and find Hayley again, she was good to you, and you love her-"

"I know." He paused, "I want my family, but we were doomed from the very beginning…"

"I don't want to be… ugh what do they call it? The bounding girl?"

"Rebound."

"Exactly."

"Nothing has to happen yet, Tatia, the more that happens in my life the more I realize what I truly want and what truly satisfies me. I know what I crave."

She nodded, offering him a smile, " _Time_ " She stressed.

"Time" She agreed.

"I've been meaning to ask for months now but… why a gun?" He chucked.

"I have good aim" She laughed in response, "I know it can't do much, but it's really helped, I have a gun for vampires, wood- and another one with normal bullets" She said excitedly, "Great stress reliever."

"You're fascinating" He mused.

"So are you! Why do you rip out the hearts?" She challenged.

"Get to the source of the problem- the heart"

"Profound."

"I guess."

* * *

 **\- A YEAR LATER -**

Things had taken longer than expected.

But the day had come.

Retrieval day.

Crunch time.

Heels clicked against tile floors and poised strides were made to the center of the room, muttering and chattering was all around, she did nothing more than adjust her mask before meeting with the masked man in the middle, instantly falling into his embrace as she began to sway against him and the music. Not a word was said as they had rehearsed this and practised what was to come. Freya and Vincent had gone above and beyond to make this work, the cloaking spell that is, they helped them get into a Witches ball to retrieve their son, Tatia knew from the moment she entered the room that her son was near, she could sense him. There was a ritual that was going to take place that night, their son was going to be the perfect sacrifice, they had planned that the moment Tatia had Eirik she was to cloak him too, with a pendant that Freya had cursed to cloak her nephew so they could leave untraced, Elijah would be ravid, she knew from all The Hollow would manifest itself in others with the amount of power surging in the room, it was taking everything in Elijah not to go crazy, so she made sure to keep her eyes on him in attempts to distract him, he was doing well but she could feel his rigidness.

She was thanking the Gods for his mask.

The moment the ritual began they got into the respectable positions.

She leaned up to kiss Elijah's cheek, and whisper in his ear. "Stay safe and come home to us."

Tatia breathed heavily, watching as they brought twenty small children out and lined them up, one of them, a small boy resembling Elijah exactly stood at the very end, nearest to her, how convenient. Freya entered first, hand in hand with Vincent channelling the power of the other witches and vampires Elijah had allied with over the past year and a half, as the candles flickered and lights went out Tatia went straight to Eirik taking his hand and scurrying him out of there, got him in the car and began their journey home, far, far away.

Freya was near, there was an infinite amount of power in the room. Tatia didn't want to see what that did to Elijah nor was that scene one for their son to witness, especially on their first meeting.

Upon reaching their home back in Manosque Tatia took the liberty of getting Eirik acquainted, and up to date with what he knew he was eight, but not totally oblivious, for the most part he had been told about his parents and knew that the people that had been raising him weren't his actual parents and they treated him well, she was thankful for that, but he was also thankful he was aware that his living conditions weren't the best, he has been tested on on several occasions.

She held him close all night making sure it was real. After all it had been eight long years since she had been looking for him.

It took four days for Elijah to return, looking worse for wear at the doorstep but luckily it was nighttime and Eirik was already in bed She helped him get cleaned up as best she could, before letting him stand at their son's doorway watching their sleeping boy in awe for hours on end, so content with the sight he saw, Tatia didn't once try to tear him away, after all she had four days alone with him, and Elijah was just stepping into fatherhood.

"He doesn't look a bit like me" She laughed, coming up behind him. "That's definitely _your_ son"

"He's the most exquisite being I've ever seen in my life." He uttered.

"I agree." Tatia smiled, "Everything we ever hoped for"

"And more. Thank you for this gift, Tatiana." He added.

Tatia smiled, "I want to offer you something" She said softly.

"What would that be?" He asked his eyes never leaving his boy.

"Myself." She said small.

He turned to her "What are you saying?" His brows furrowed.

"My blood, I know you're weak" She whispered. "I can't die… it's safe…" She reasoned.

"I couldn't Tatia…"

"You have no choice" She whispered, "Eirik's pendant cloaks him… but he's also a Mikaelson Witch… he was conceived before you turned. It suppresses his power. Just like Hope… The Hollow would want him, Freya and Vincent found out because my blood was used to create you, and it's my blood that runs through his veins…. I can act as barrier if you feed from me, I can suppress your appetite, cloak the urges from the Hollow, but my blood also makes you stronger… it's only temporary, until we find a way to get rid of the Hollow for good, Freya is working endlessly. His pendant will work for only some time, so we have to do this frequently." She whispered. "We didn't want to tell you in fear that you would fear being around him, but I trust you, I always trust you and I'm not leaving, nor is he. We are his parents. We make it work and I should have told you sooner, for that I apologize."

He was at a loss for words stepping out into the hallway and pulling Eiriks bedroom door shut behind him, letting her take a step back to give him some more room. The thought had crossed his mind, when he had initially thought of the time of Eiriks conception he had questioned whether the little boy would have possessed his mother's traits and it was clear now, very clear to him that he had. Perhaps he hadn't voiced his concerns out of fear of them becoming real, evidently they were but as she stood before him offering herself and his human blood bag, for regular usage, not only that but also saying that this was something that would temporarily become a compulsory custom all so he could go near his son without fear or something else taking over him and all the while making him stronger, it felt a little like a double standard that he had to endure in order to make things right.

He craved her.

Sh was answering his prayers but treading in the darkest of territories.

The act was incredible intimate for him.

He had no choice.

No choice what so ever.

If it wasn't strange enough that he had left and departed from Hayley back into the arms of his 'late' wife, to moving across the world and living together with her to learn that there had been a child she had bore for him and then to live for over a year together under the same roof with this strange yet undeserved affection for one another still, living like man and wife, like how things should and could have been like when they were back on the farm. Both holding back in their own personal emotions and convictions due to their predicament but their son was safe, and for the most part the threats were at bay for now. Here she was, in all her beauty, doing everything, like him, that she possibly could to make this work.

He made a mental vow to never mess this up.

Woman after his own wretched, broken, torn, monstrous heart.

"Wrist or neck?"

He instantly brought out of his thoughts; " _Excuse_ me?"

"What are your preferred methods?" She asked doe eyed, looking up at him.

Beautiful thing, she was so unaware of what she was asking. He paused, shaking his head, this was suddenly getting all too real.

She cocked her head to the side and pulled her hair from the area, exposing her neck to him, "I'll make the decision for you." Sensing his hesitation she swallowed, "I'm not afraid of you, please… Let me help you, I know you need this but I also know this is needed to make our family work."

Silence.

The next thing she knew was off of the ground, in his bedroom behind a closed door, pushed against the wall and his teeth were sunk deep into her skin around her pulse point. She wrapped her legs around him for more support, as he fed from her, it was painful and the feeling of him draining blood from her was one she couldn't comprehend, her hands ran through his hair soothing him a little, as the brief scene that his mother had planted in her head ran through her again.

After a good few moments she felt herself getting a little fatigued from it all

" _My love_ …" A name she hadn't used since their Viking days, breathing heavily., " _Please_ …"

He unlatched, slamming himself to the other side of the room, to get away from her, he had to in order to calm down. He swallowed, craving more of her but he knew, this was going to be something that they both had to do in moderation.

"Are you alright?" Tatia asked bravely.

"Are you?"

She nodded.

"Then... yes."


End file.
